He had invited them to dine — how could he not be the one to pay!!
Qi Qingchen pretended not to hear her and walked all the way to the dining hall. Yan Shiyao, fuming, followed after him and stormed in behind him.
They had barely taken their seats when Zhuqing helped Jiang Jin walk in.
“Your Highness.” Jiang Jin smiled and curtsied.
Yan Shiyao’s gaze fell on Jiang Jin’s abdomen. Beneath the layers of her garment, a small swell was visible; Jiang Jin stroked it with one hand, her eyes soft and tender.
Qi Qingchen could not be bothered to acknowledge her. If it were not for her, Yan Shiyao would never have become this unhinged.
“Your Highness.” Jiang Jin bit her lip, unshed tears of grievance brimming in her eyes.
Qi Qingchen accepted the teacup a maidservant offered him and drank from it at an unhurried pace.
Jiang Jin felt her heart constrict. She was still carrying his child — was he really going to ignore her?
What would become of her going forward?
Yan Shiyao stared at the dishes on the table and swallowed. She had waited at the residence to have dinner with Ningning, and when Ningning never came, she had hurried over to the Third Prince’s Residence — and now she was rather hungry.
“Third Your Highness — the silver.” Yan Shiyao knocked impatiently on the table.
Qi Qingchen held his emotions in check, unhooked the jade pendant from his waist, and tossed it to her. “Get out.”
Yan Shiyao pursed her lips and said with a half-smile, “Third Your Highness, you weren’t like this at Yuanjin Manor.”
Qi Qingchen viciously bit into a flaky pastry and glowered at her, his expression ugly.
She was bringing up Yuanjin Manor again!
Was she reminding him at every turn of just how stupid he had been?!
Yan Shiyao cocked her head to one side and let out a giggle. “Third Your Highness, stop setting your sights on Ningning — otherwise this subject-girl will tell everyone about what you did at Yuanjin Manor……”
“Yan Shiyao!” Qi Qingchen’s face turned ashen as he glared at her.
She was bringing it up again!!
“Third Your Highness, promise me, and I guarantee I won’t bring it up again.” Yan Shiyao’s eyes curved with a smile.
Qi Qingchen drew a breath and seized her chin in his hand, lowering his voice. “Yan Shiyao — what gives you the right to give me orders? And you dare threaten me?”
“Then does Your Highness want me to tell everyone that you were stu——”
Qi Qingchen suddenly lowered his head and silenced her with a kiss. Yan Shiyao’s unfinished words lodged in her throat.
A pang shot through Jiang Jin’s heart. She struggled to steady the emotions threatening to break apart inside her.
Zhuqing tightened her hold on her, heart leaping into her throat — terrified the secondary consort might be so upset that something went wrong with the pregnancy.
She was still with child — nothing could happen.
“Qi Qingchen!” Yan Shiyao shoved him away, so furious her face had gone white.
The man licked his lips, his voice gone rough. “Yan Shiyao, be quiet.”
Why did his heart inexplicably race every time he kissed her?
Yan Shiyao held herself back — and then didn’t. She reached for the dish nearest to her and hurled it at Qi Qingchen.
Scalding, greasy broth splashed across his robes. Qi Qingchen clenched his fists and roared, “Yan Shiyao — if you don’t clean this up today, don’t think about leaving the Third Prince’s Residence!”
“Fine, I won’t leave.” Yan Shiyao settled herself into the rosewood chair, leisurely, and began to help herself to the food.
She was hungry anyway — she could leave after eating.
Qi Qingchen pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose and turned to snap at a nearby maidservant. “Take everything away.”
At the command, the maidservants wasted no time — trembling, they began clearing the dishes from the table.
Yan Shiyao: “……”
How petty!!
Then again — he said he was treating, didn’t pay, and ran off. Of course he wouldn’t let her eat!!
Yan Shiyao waved the jade pendant in her hand and mustered up a thin smile. “Third Your Highness, this subject-girl will take her leave.”
“You splashed the dishes onto this Crown Prince——”
“Be quiet.” Yan Shiyao drew out her dagger and gave it a flash. “Say one more word and I’ll get myself injured again, and your Imperial Father will be sending me rewards once more.”
If she got hurt inside the Third Prince’s Residence again, no matter how innocent Qi Qingchen was, he would have no way to explain himself.
Qi Qingchen wrestled down the rage churning in his chest, seized her wrist, and slapped the dagger from her hand.
“Yan Shiyao — wipe this clean for me.” The man smiled with cold menace. “Otherwise, you won’t walk out of the Third Prince’s Residence today.”
“Big Brother Qi, I know I was wrong.” Yan Shiyao suddenly stepped close to him, rested one hand lightly on his neck, and smiled with sweet obedience.
Qi Qingchen looked down at the girl’s exquisite face, and his heart missed a beat.
“Big Brother Qi, if I go back too late, Ningning will worry.” Yan Shiyao rose on her toes and spoke close to his ear, her voice low and suggestive. “I’ll come back tomorrow and wash your robe for you — is that alright?”
Qi Qingchen’s throat shifted. He pulled her in against him and let her lean into his chest, his voice dropping a notch. “No.”
Yan Shiyao bit her lip. She pushed Qi Qingchen down into the rosewood chair, crouched before him, and with ill-concealed reluctance, began to wipe the broth from his robe with a handkerchief.
She would endure for now.
The moment she was out of the residence, she would go home and tell Father that she had kindly come to reconcile with Secondary Consort Jin, only for Qi Qingchen to bully her on the secondary consort’s behalf — and she would have Father submit a memorial to Emperor Qi.
“First Young Miss Yan — next time you throw food at this Crown Prince, I will make sure to discipline you properly.” Qi Qingchen rested his fingers on the armrest of the rosewood chair and tapped it in a slow, idle rhythm.
Yan Shiyao pressed her mouth flat.
“Someone — bring the food back.” Qi Qingchen cast an indifferent look toward one of the maidservants.
The maidservants quickly carried back all the dishes they had just cleared away.
Yan Shiyao’s mouth twitched. The servants who followed a master like this — they really did suffer.
“Finish your meal before you leave.” Qi Qingchen took hold of her hand; a maidservant, reading the situation well, moved the rosewood chair to his side.
Qi Qingchen pulled Yan Shiyao up from the floor. Before she had even steadied herself, he pressed her down into the chair.
“Your Highness.” Jiang Jin had bitten her lip until it bled.
“Sit down and eat.” Qi Qingchen said flatly.
Jiang Jin fixed him with a pitiable, tearful gaze, her tears falling without a sound.
“How very pitiful.” Yan Shiyao beamed at Jiang Jin, the delight in her tone impossible to hide.
Qi Qingchen lifted an eyelid and glanced at her.
Jiang Jin glared at Yan Shiyao, squeezing Zhuqing’s hand so hard that her fingernails accidentally dug into Zhuqing’s flesh. Zhuqing pressed her lips together in silent agony as her face scrunched from the pain.
“Your Highness, Secondary Consort — First Young Miss Mu has arrived.” Wu’an stepped into the dining hall and bowed. “Your Highness, First Young Miss Mu says that the secondary consort gave her permission to come and keep the secondary consort company.”
Qi Qingchen’s eyes narrowed slightly, a trace of displeasure crossing his face.
Jiang Jin’s eyes were filled with aggrieved satisfaction. Stuck under house arrest, she was not even allowed to make things difficult for Yan Shiyao?
When she heard Yan Shiyao had come to the residence, she had quickly sent someone to fetch Mu Xi.
Yan Shiyao had once offended Mu Xi on account of the Mu family’s concubine-born daughter, Mu Cheng — so today, summoning Mu Xi was precisely because she wanted to watch the two of them tear at each other.
Qi Qingchen turned his gaze to Jiang Jin, no shred of sympathy in his eyes. “Imperial Father has placed you under house arrest, and you turn around and invite the eldest legitimate daughter of the Ministry of Works to keep you company — is this because you don’t take Imperial Father seriously, or because you want Imperial Father to put me under house arrest as well?”
“Your Highness, what happened that day was not this concubine’s fault — it was all Yan Shiyao. She deliberately framed me.” Jiang Jin steadied herself with one hand against her abdomen and stepped forward. “Your Highness, it is just as Yan Shiyao threatened you today — this concubine and the child are innocent.”
When she finished, she carefully reached for Qi Qingchen’s hand, placed it over her abdomen, and said with reddened eyes, “Your Highness, this concubine and the child have both been deeply wronged.”